


The Way To a Man’s Heart is Through His Dog

by SylvieW



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Laura Hale, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Human, Anal Sex, Artist Derek, Camp counsellor Stiles, Fluff, Kid Isaac, M/M, Shy Derek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-10
Updated: 2016-03-12
Packaged: 2018-05-25 20:15:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6208552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SylvieW/pseuds/SylvieW
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek brings his dog with him to pick up Laura’s son, Isaac, from daycamp, and develops a crush of one of the counsellors.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Fluff, fluff, fluff and more fluff. If you’d like some visuals for Derek’s dog Cyrus you can look [here](https://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/39/90/5b/39905bcd734865e875c6c69b00b62767.jpg&imgrefurl=https://www.pinterest.com/sysak27/czechoslovakian-wolfdog/&h=176&w=236&tbnid=Gx22q1wx438T-M:&docid=iEopKelIHvdX3M&ei=-dzcVtfSJsOdjwTovqnoDA&tbm=isch&ved=0ahUKEwiXs8DWua3LAhXDzoMKHWhfCs0QMwgcKAEwAQ) and [here](https://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.paradise-wolves.com/pure%252520blue%252520bay%252520shepherd.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.paradise-wolves.com/wolfy-looking-dogs&h=347&w=450&tbnid=xEoXOUD7PAOuiM:&docid=9eKSlQWqPzZc6M&ei=-dzcVtfSJsOdjwTovqnoDA&tbm=isch&ved=0ahUKEwiXs8DWua3LAhXDzoMKHWhfCs0QMwgiKAcwBw).
> 
> Shout out to my bestest beta [ChloeWeird](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChloeWeird/works?fandom_id=258526) for her awesomeness.

The first time Derek came to pick Isaac up from day camp, the other adults gave him a wide berth. It was understandable. He was standing close to the fence and had on tight black jeans, a dark grey shirt, his favourite leather jacket and the sunglasses Laura referred to as his _Asshole Chic_ shades. Not to mention, he had Cyrus with him. People got twitchy when faced with a giant black animal, regardless of who accompanied them. A prickly-looking owner only added to their unease.

It wasn’t really a hardship, though. In fact, it was one of the many reasons he liked to bring Cyrus with him. He didn’t want to make small talk with strangers or--god forbid--fend off flirtations. He got tongue-tied and awkward when he had to deal with people he didn’t know, because he never knew what to expect from them or what they expected from him.

Cyrus was easy. He stayed at Derek’s side, calm and collected, his warm body and soft fur keeping Derek grounded. Cyrus would wait, walk, run or ride with him, wherever he went. The only thing he wanted in return was a scratch behind the ears, and a biscuit every so often.

There was a woman close to the doors that kept shooting them suspicious glares. The kind with blonde hair cut on a weird “edgy” angle and dark roots, who probably asked to see managers at grocery stores so they could bitch about the cashier. She looked like she thought Cyrus would break off his leash any moment and start going for people's throats. Nevermind that Cy was sitting at Derek’s feet, the leash slack before it wound around Derek’s wrist.

The thin black leather leash and small chain collar were more of a formality anyway. Cyrus responded to Derek. Derek’s movements, commands, emotions, they were perfectly in tune. And with a dog as large as this, it didn’t matter how sturdy the leash and collar were, if Cy wanted to be gone, they weren’t going to stop him.

“Almost done,” Derek murmured. Cyrus looked up at him, then nudged his nose against Derek’s hand. That was another good thing about Cyrus. He was a excellent conversationalist. “Isaac will be the last one out, though.”

Cyrus settled onto his stomach with a sigh, head still alert. Derek interpreted this as _I don’t mind waiting, we have time_. The front doors of the camp’s main building opened, and the counsellors led the different age groups outside before handing the children off to waiting adults. 

Kids were quickly collected and herded toward the parking lot. Derek moved a few more yards away from the gate. Just because he knew Cyrus wouldn’t bite anyone didn’t mean he wanted to encourage children to touch strange animals.

At least half the kids were gone before the group of 6-8 year olds even made it out the door. At the front of their line was a counsellor with floppy dark hair and a pleasant smile. The guy got distracted from handing off the children when the mom who had sneered at Derek and Cyrus earlier started talking to him. The kids bottlenecked at the door, before another man wiggled his way to the front and started pointing them in the direction of the waiting adults.

The new man had a fascinating way of moving. A sort of fluid grace that was peppered with bursts of energy. He nearly knocked a kid in the head with a quick move of his elbow, pulling back at just the right moment to avoid connecting. He gave friendly waves, and doled out enthusiastic high-fives and goodbyes, while steadily working through eight of the children. The ninth child was standing at sneering mom’s elbow, and looking bored out of her skull. Child ten was...Well, Derek had said he would be last.

Derek started walking toward the door, Cyrus rising gracefully and moving along at his side. The counsellor ducked his head back into the building for a moment. When he popped back out, Isaac was with him, talking a mile a minute while trying to get his backpack on. The counsellor nodded along, smiling encouragingly. When the backpack was finally in place, they both cheered before exchanging a light fist bump. Derek loved watching Isaac’s look of concentration as he tapped his fist against the man’s, slightly off center despite his efforts.

Once Isaac caught sight of Derek and Cyrus approaching, he gave a shout and pointed them out to the counsellor. At the man’s nod, he raced toward them, flinging himself at Derek’s legs. “Hi Uncle Derek.” Derek didn’t have time to return the hug before Isaac was letting go to wrap his arms around Cyrus’ neck and bury his hands in his thick fur. “Hi Cyrus, I missed you so much.”

A bright laugh rolled toward them, and Derek directed his focus away from Isaac. The counsellor was walking toward them. “This must be the infamous Cyrus, Dog Wonder.”

Derek flushed, discomfited by both the unexpected attention and the attractiveness of the counsellor. Derek wasn’t good at talking to people, and flirting, he was downright hopeless at. “This is Cyrus, but I’m not sure about the ‘infamous dog wonder’ part.”

“Uncle Derek, of course Cy is a wonder dog, he can do like ten different tricks, at least.” Isaac insisted. He was on his knees pushing his face into Cy’s neck while the dog sat patiently.

“And what makes him infamous?” Derek asked. Isaac frowned.

The counsellor chuckled. “Ah, that would be the epic tales of his exploits that Isaac tells us. I’ve heard so much about this dog, it feels like I’ve already met him.”

“But you haven’t,” Derek pointed out. The man’s smile dimmed a bit, and Derek felt like a heel. “We could fix that. Cyrus, say hello.” Cyrus, pushed his weight onto his back legs, held one paw forward in greeting, and gave a short, low bark.

The smile returned in full force as the counsellor took the outstretched paw gingerly. “Hello, Cyrus, I’m Stiles.”

Derek let the name roll around his brain, and wondered how it would taste of his tongue. “Stiles,” he said, softly. It felt nice, and he thought it would be nice to discover all the ways a person could say it, and how it fit with the man in front of him.

“And if our pick up list is correct, you would be Uncle Derek, right?” Stiles offered a hand. He had cool, dry skin and his fingers were the kind of long and thin that was often considered delicate, but his firm grip spoke of hidden strength. Derek’s own fingers practically twitched with the desire for something to draw with, so he could explore those hands more thoroughly.

Before he could respond his affirmative, a nasal voice cut in, “Tell him Mr. McCall. I won’t stand for this.”

The other counsellor and that stupid sneering mom were coming toward them. McCall was frowning in bewilderment, while the woman’s pinched face shot a glare at Derek.

“What’s up, Scotty?” Stiles asked.

Scott gave him a hesitant smile. “Hey, Stiles. Um, Mrs. Johnson is concerned--”

“I’m concerned about the safety risk of having such a large animal near the campers,” Mrs. Johnson cut in. “Of course, I would never want to cause any trouble--” 

“Of course not,” Stiles said under his breath.

“--but I would hate to see something happen to one of the children here because no one said anything,” she continued. “I really have everyone's best interests at heart.”

“I’m sure,” Stiles murmured with a tight smile.

Scott shared a commiserating look with Stiles. “I explained to Mrs. Johnson that--”

“Mr. McCall said that you have no policies in place that say people can’t have pets with them for pick up, but I think that is a gross oversight on the part of Camp Nemeton, and if the coordinators had realized issues like this would arise, they would have put rules in place long ago. This animal shouldn’t be allowed here.”

Mrs. Johnson’s presence alone had caused Derek to stiffen, but the prospect of not having Cyrus with with him made him go completely rigid. Isaac popped up from his place on the ground. “That’s not fair! Kyle’s mom brings her chihuahua all the time, and nobody cares. Cyrus is way better trained than Cupcake.”

Mrs. Johnson turned her pinched expression on Isaac. “A chihuahua is far less aggressive than a large dog like this.”

“It’s not, actually. They’re statistically way more likely to bite,” Stiles interjected. “And it would be a complete double standard for us to allow some people to bring their dogs in and not others, based solely on the size of the animal. We make a point here at Camp Nemeton to teach kids about safety, including interacting with animals, and so far we have never had a problem. If Cyrus showed signs of being aggressive or even just too rambunctious with the kids, then that would be a different story. However, he has been a perfect gentlemen his whole time here. Derek, should we be concerned about Cyrus reacting aggressively toward the children?”

Derek shook his head and muttered, “Only if you’re worried he’ll lick them to death.”

Isaac giggled and the two counsellors tried not to grin. Mrs. Johnson huffed. “I just don’t want to put my little girl at risk over some politics.”

“Your little girl is currently climbing to the top of the jungle gym. On the outside,” Derek pointed out. He had seen the girl wander over to the play area at the beginning of the conversation, but had figured the woman didn’t care when the girl had started climbing. 

Mrs. Johnson gasped, and stormed toward the sandbox, screaming at her child the whole way.

They all frowned after her until Isaac asked, “So, does that mean Cyrus can still wait for me?”

“Totally,” Stiles assured him. “If Cyrus is cool with us, we’re cool with him.”

Isaac looked just as relieved as Derek felt. “That’s good. Can we get our ice cream now?”

“What makes you think we’re getting ice cream?” Derek asked. 

Isaac rolled his eyes and pinned him with an _Are you kidding me?_ look that Derek would swear he had seen on Laura’s face. “Because we always get ice cream when you pick me up.”

“He’s been debating what flavour to get all day. I think he even took a poll at one point,” Stile said.

“We decided on one scoop of chocolate fudge and one scoop of mint chip.” Isaac informed them, solemnly.

Derek smiled. “Good choice. Say goodbye to your counsellors, please.”

“Bye Stiles, bye Scott. Sorry you don’t get ice cream.” Isaac waved over his shoulder and started pulling Derek toward the parking lot. The counsellors laughed and called out goodbyes. Derek looked back at them, and when their eyes met, Stiles wiggled his eyebrows and shot Derek a mock salute. Derek gave an awkward wave back and followed Isaac quickly so they wouldn’t see him blush.


	2. Chapter 2

For the next few weeks, Derek started picking Isaac up with increasing frequency. He almost always picked him up Tuesdays and Thursdays, sometimes only keeping him for an hour before returning him to Laura, but more often watching him until the evening, with the occasional sleep over thrown in.

Beacon Hills was a small town, but Laura was a highly sought-after lawyer, practicing everything from estate planning to criminal cases to business partnership agreements. Many of her colleagues had asked why she didn’t specialize and become some hotshot in a big city. She usually brushed them off by claiming she liked the variety of a small town practice. Derek was grateful either way. He like the small town and the proximity to the preserve living on their family’s land gave him, and he would hate to have to make a choice between missing that and missing Laura and Isaac.

With the increased frequency of his pickups, came increased familiarity with the other families at the camp. Many of the parents started thinking of them less as _Angry Guy with Big Dog_ and more as Derek and Cyrus, Isaac's uncle. This was fine with Derek. For the most part, the warming was gradual, people approaching slowly and usually focusing their attention on Cy before him.

Unfortunately, it also came with increased flirting. People hit on him while he waited, with various levels of aggression. There were shy smiles, explicit suggestions, and one memorable grandmother he was pretty sure patted his ass on her way by. Sometimes he wished he was with someone, just so he would have an easy excuse for why he turned them down. Then again, there were a few in the group that had significant others of their own and that didn’t seem to stop them. 

Things were starting to get out of hand when he met Erica. She was a feisty blonde, whose son, Vernon, was in Isaac’s camp group. She flirted with anyone and everyone, with outrageous gusto, wielding her killer body and sharp wit like a sword. When someone's aunt had told Derek she would love to see what he could do with an hour and some whip cream, Erica had invited her to come over and help her lick some off her husband’s dick. That particular woman hadn’t spoken to them since. 

Erica was the same kind of terrifying that Laura was, which, for Derek, made her safe and manageable. She could verbally eviscerate him in seconds, but she choose not to, and Derek thought she was the best friend he had made in ages. She didn’t seem phased when he didn’t have much to say or if what he did say sounded curt. They progressed from waiting at the camp together to getting coffee and hanging out. She even poked and prodded until she got him and Isaac to come over for a barbeque one weekend. Whenever they talked, she pulled conversation from him and gave enough in return to make Derek feel connected but not overwhelmed.To top it all off, she and Cyrus got along famously.

Having gone to all that trouble to avoid the flirtatious attentions around him, Derek felt like a world class asshole for wanting Stiles to flirt with him more. Stiles was friendly and kind. When talking to Derek after camp, he included Isaac in conversations and always gave Cy a good scratch before saying goodbye. He asked questions about Derek’s life and seemed to genuinely care about the answers. They were gradually getting to know each other, but Stiles didn’t flirt. Of course, neither did Derek, which made him feel worse, because he wanted to flirt with Stiles, but he didn’t know how. Derek liked that Stiles didn’t ogle him and obviously lust over his body, while he simultaneously drove himself crazy fantasizing about all the things he’d like to do to Stiles’ pale skin and mobile mouth. He felt like the worst kind of perv, setting up a standard and then not applying it to himself.

There were lots of reasons for Stiles not to flirt, and Derek listed them to himself almost every time he went to Camp Nemeton. Stiles was being professional, and it wouldn’t do to hit on clients. Stiles might not be into men, since it didn’t exactly come up in conversation as easily as one might hope. Stiles might not be into Derek, which hurt, but was perfectly valid. 

The more he got to know Stiles, the more Derek wanted to be with him. And the more his low self confidence reared its ugly head and told him that someone as smart and vibrant wouldn’t ever want to be with someone as closed off and taciturn as Derek.

Hence, pick up was a time he viewed with equal parts dread and anticipation.

It was a Tuesday afternoon when Stiles and Isaac came up to him, both looking determined and excited. Isaac clutched a mint green piece of paper in his hand like it was a golden ticket as he raced over. “Uncle Derek, will you bring Cyrus into camp? Please, please, you will, right? He’ll be the best safety dog, I know it!”

Derek tried to absorb what was being asked of him as Isaac threw himself against Derek’s legs, then wrapped himself around Cyrus while waving the piece of paper. Derek took the paper carefully, reading the bold heading _All About Animals_. 

“We have a different theme for every week,” Stiles explained. “Next week is our turn with animals. We learn about types of animals, about pets and how to take care of them, also animal safety. Everything from meeting a bear in the woods to meeting a dog outside the grocery store. Scott used to work at a vet’s office in high school, so we even get an animal to come in every day.” Derek watched in fascination as Stiles used his whole body to talk, hands moving in erratic motions.

“Wednesday, we get to meet a lizard!” Isaac interjected.

Stile grinned down at him. “An iguana, to be specific. His name is Henry. Anyway, we had a dog lined up but there were some complications. Long story short, we don’t have one now, and so we’re trying to find a dog who’s well trained enough to handle teaching dog safety to a bunch of kids, with an owner willing to come in. Naturally, we thought of you and Cyrus.”

“You can come, right, Uncle Derek?” Isaac looked up at him, eyes wide and hopeful.

Stiles put a long fingered hand on Isaac’s shoulder. “Of course, if you’re too busy, or you don’t think Cyrus would react well, or if you just don’t want to, we completely understand. We don’t want to pressure you into this, right, Isaac?” 

Derek twined Cy’s leash tighter around his wrist, then unwound it again. He didn’t want to disappoint Stiles and Isaac, but he didn’t think he would know what to say to a group of kids. “What exactly would we have to do?”

“Come in after lunch, around two, have Cyrus sit, and stay, do any fun tricks he might know. Tell us a bit about Cyrus, if you're up to it. Let the kids take turns asking permission to pet Cyrus, and then letting them do so.” Stiles gestured to the bullet points on the green paper as he outlined the schedule.

That didn’t sound too bad, and as a bonus, Derek could spend the afternoon with Stiles and his nephew. He would most likely be picking up Isaac on Tuesday anyway, so it wouldn’t be too much trouble to come in early. “We could do that.”

Isaac bounced up with a shout, hugging Derek’s waist again, then giving Stiles a high five. “You're the best, Uncle Der. Could you bring in some of your pictures of Cy, too?”

Derek flushed. “If you think your group would like that.” He was always shy about showing his work. It was amazing that he had managed any kind of success, considering how much he hated promoting his work. He was extremely fortunate that his uncle Peter liked to brag enough for the both of them, and was extremely business savvy to boot.

Stiles beamed at him. “I’d love to see them.” Scott called Stiles from the door of the camp. “I should go debrief, but I’ll see you guys later.” He gave Cyrus his customary scratch and headed for Scott. He called over his shoulder, “Enjoy your ice cream.”

“What makes you think were getting ice cream?” Derek called back, hiding a grin as Isaac chortled next to him.

***

The hallway was completely empty when Derek and Cyrus followed the directions they had been given to Scott and Stiles’ room. Derek walked quickly, leash in one hand, a black binder tucked under the other arm. The sound of their footsteps echoed in the brightly painted halls. Derek’s heart was pounding out right along with them.

Once they reached the right door, Derek crouched down, Cyrus immediately pressed up against him, and Derek wrapped his arm around the dog's shoulders. “Best behaviour, okay?” 

Cyrus chuffed, _As if you could expect anything less from me._

Derek took one last deep breath and knocked on the door. He didn’t wait long for Stiles to throw open the door. “Hi guys! We’re so excited you’re here, come on in.” He stepped back and waved them into the room, taking the binder from Derek and whisking it away.

The room was divided into different play areas. The main half had two low long tables, and the other half had a brightly coloured carpet. The ten campers were gathered in a loose semi circle, each sitting on their own small coloured mat. They chatted and squirmed with anticipation. Isaac waved frantically from his place in the middle, Derek gave a shy wave back, and was rewarded by Isaac beaming as the kid next to him looked between them with clear envy.

Stiles gave a casual clap and drew the kids attention to him. “Okay everybody, this is Derek and his dog Cyrus. He’s going to tell us some fun things about his dog, and if you all listen quietly and patiently, they may even let you ask questions.” He turned to Derek and smiled encouragingly, then moved to the side, next to Scott, leaving Derek front and centre.

Derek cleared his throat. ”Um, hi. This is Cyrus, which you already know… his vet thinks he is a Czechoslovakian Wolfdog with maybe some Newfoundland mixed in. That’s where the black fur comes from. He is a rescue. I found him under the bridge on the east side of town. I looked for an owner, but no one claimed him, and we're pretty sure someone left him there, because he was getting too big.” Some of the kids made distressed noises and it occurred to him that maybe that isn't the kind of thing you should say to 7 year olds.

“That’s why we do lots of research before we take on the responsibility of a pet, right, guys? Because puppies aren’t small forever,” Stiles interjected and the crowd nodded enthusiastically. “There are lots of dogs in shelters that need our love, if we have the time and the resources to give it.” He sounded like he had repeated that frequently in the past week. Derek was thrilled that they were teaching the kids about rescues and the consequences of abandoning a pet, and relieved that he hadn’t scarred the kids for life in the first two minutes of his visit.

“He was about 7 months old when we found him, and he wasn’t even fully grown yet. He’s four years old now.” Derek tried to think of what he had planned to say. 

Stiles saved him again by asking, “How long are his walks?”

“We spend at least an hour out in the woods almost every day. And we go out for around fifteen minutes in the evening,” Derek explained.

“Awesome,” Scott exclaimed. “Are you up for some questions from the campers?” Derek nodded and a few hands shot up into the air. The kids asked about how much food he ate, if he fetched newspapers, if he could be ridden like a horse, and a question or two about his poop, oddly. Derek answered as best he could, with Scott and Stiles helping. At one point, two boys started jostling each other, so Scott went to sit between them, leaving Stiles alone at the front with Derek.

Erica’s son, Vernon, asked, “Can he do any tricks?”

“Quite a few actually. Cyrus, sit. Stay.” Derek dropped the leash before walking a few feet away. Cyrus watched him patiently, butt firmly planted on the ground. “Cyrus, find Isaac.”

The dog got to his feet and went straight for Derek’s nephew, sitting down in front of him and accepting his hug. The other children looked suitably impressed. “Do you want to show them leapfrog, Isaac?”

Isaac nodded and popped off his mat, he and Cyrus came up to Derek, and he reclaimed the leash. Isaac crouched down in the middle of the open area. Derek drew Cyrus around and commanded, “Cyrus, let's play leapfrog.” The dog took a couple steps back for momentum and then sailed over isaac, landing gracefully. He turned to face the same way Isaac was and lowered his body flat to the ground. Isaac popped up and let Derek grab him around the waist to help him jump over the dog. 

The kids clapped and cheered, and Isaac blushed. Derek handed him a treat to give to Cy and he returned to his seat. Derek took a second treat from his pocket, and gave Cyrus his sit and hold commands. He placed the treat gently on the dog's nose, then counted to five before saying, “All yours, Cy.” The dog nudged his nose up and snapped up the falling treat. The children giggled and clapped again.

“Show them the dancing, Uncle Derek,” Isaac called out.

“Right, that.” Derek hesitated. Dancing was a fun trick but he didn’t want to look like an idiot in front of Stiles. The kids were already excited though, and he didn’t want to disappoint them. He maneuvered so both he and Cy were facing the kids and said, “Cyrus, let’s do it up.” He and Cy both stepped stepped to the left a few times in a two-step shuffle, then repeated it back to the right. “Shake it out, Cy.” Cyrus waggled his hips hard as the children laughed.

Stiles laughed along with them, looking delighted. “Well, you can’t top that. How do you like people to approach Cy if they want to pet him?”

Derek blushed, and tried to focus on the question. “I like them to ask first. Cyrus is usually okay with new people, but sometimes he’s not feeling so friendly. If he is, he likes to sniff people before they touch him, so I have them hold out their hand.”

“Anywhere that we shouldn't pet him?” Scott asked.

Derek shrugged. “Don’t stick your hands in his mouth?”

Stiles snickered. “Okay, who wants to pet Cyrus?” Everyone shot their hand up including Scott. Stiles grabbed a magician's hat off a shelf and stuck his hand in. Derek could hear plastic clacking together, as the kids looked at him expectantly. He pulled out a plastic coin and said, “Kira, you’re first.” 

A little girl popped off her mat and approached them quickly. “Just like we practiced okay?” Scott called.

“Hi! Can I pet your dog?” Kira said, enunciating in that special way kids did when they had rehearsed something.

“Sure,” Derek replied, glancing over at Stiles for approval. They watched closely as the girl held out her hand for sniffing then pet Cyrus along his back. Stiles let her have a decent turn before pointing Scott to a stack of papers on another shelf. “Good job Kira, you can get a colouring sheet from Scott, and get started on that while everyone has their turn.” Kira thanked Derek and took the offered sheet, heading over to the long tables. Stiles pulled another coin from the hat and called out a name. 

They worked through the group without incident. The kids were well prepared and Cyrus was good as gold. Only one kid tried to pull his ear too hard, but Cy took it like a pro and Stiles gently reminded the kid that ears were sensitive places. Derek chided himself for imagining the things he could do to Stiles’ sensitive places if given the chance.

Isaac’s turn was near the end of the group. He asked for permission like all the other kids had, then threw his arms around Cy in their customary hug. After his turn was finished, he hugged Derek before getting his colouring sheet from Scott. When all the kids were finished, Scott took his turn, just like the kids had, then went over to solve a dispute over a purple marker.

Stiles scooped his coins back into the hat and returned it to the shelf. He crouched down and gave Cy a quick ruffle. “You're probably all petted out now aren’t you, dude?” He rose back up and focused on Derek. “Thanks again for doing this. You really made their day.”

“It was no trouble,” Derek assured him.

“Pretty soon we get to bring out the paw shaped cookies. Chocolate chip,” Stiles said, wiggling his eyebrows. Derek smirked, and watched Stiles retrieve the binder from the table he had set it on. “Any preferences on how I show these to the kids?”

“Not really, They’re just copies of work I’ve done. They aren’t in any particular order, so you can take them out of the binder if it’s easier and if they get damaged I can just print more.” Derek shrugged a shoulder. He was nervous about Stiles seeing his art, and hoped he wouldn’t notice Derek tightening Cyrus’ leash to wrap around his forearm then loosening it again. Laura said it made him look like he wanted to strangle someone.

“Sweet.” Stiles opened the binder and popped the rings. He looked through them as he distributed them around the table for the kids to see. His eyes widened at one picture and he tucked it under his arm instead of putting it on the table with the others. 

Isaac called Derek over, so he and Cyrus went to sit by him, taking the child-sized chair Scott offered. He looked ridiculous, if Stiles’ cheeky grin was anything to go by. Derek narrowed his eyes at him, then turned his attention to helping Isaac with his colouring.

The kids sifted through the pictures, pointing at the ones they liked and trying to mimic the colours in their own pictures. When they started getting rowdy, Stiles got their attention. 

“Okay, guys, here’s the plan-”

“I’m not a guy,” shouted a girl with long braids.

“Josie, I’m using ‘guys’ in the gender neutral sense, to refer to a group of people. Can I tell you the plan now?” Stiles raised an eyebrow and the girl subsided. “Okay. We are going to have snack, and then you have options. Option one: We’re bringing out the paint. Option two: We have our animal puzzles in the puzzle center. Option three: Scott will be in the story corner with some pretty cool stories featuring dogs. While we have our snack, I want you to think about which activity you want to choose.”

“Names on pages, please,” Scott reminded as they gathered up the completed colouring pages and put the markers away. One of the camp's kitchen staff wheeled in a cart with cut up fruit and the promised paw cookies, a stack of cups and a juice jug. Scott and Stiles worked well together, managing the children while doling out snacks.

When Stiles leaned over to give Isaac his snack, he whispered in Derek’s ear, “You aren’t in a hurry to head out, right?”

Derek suppressed a shiver at the feeling of Stiles’ hot breath against his skin. “No, I have to be around to get Isaac today, anyway.”

“Cool.” Stiles smiled and handed him a cup of juice. The kids quickly demolished the snacks, loudly and with gusto. Scott took a few to the bathroom while the others helped Stiles set up the different stations. Derek was given the task of tying the strings on smocks for the kids who wanted to paint, including Isaac.

“You're going to paint with me, right, Uncle Derek?” Isaac asked, holding up a tiny smock for him.

Derek looked at it dubiously. “Sure, I’ll paint with you, but I’m not wearing that.”

Isaac frowned at him. “You have to wear a smock. You can’t play with the paints if you don’t.”

Stiles came to his rescue again. “Isaac, I don’t think that one will fit. Can you grab Scott’s from the closet for me?” Isaac rushed to comply as Stiles put plastic tablecloths down and set out the paint.

Isaac returned just as Scott brought his charges back in and split into groups to join the activities they wanted. The smock Isaac brought was, in fact, a very large button up shirt, already spattered with paint. Derek pulled it on and helped the kids get started.  
Scott took charge of the group joining him for reading, while Stiles drifted between the other two groups, offering help where needed.

When the kids didn’t need his help much, Derek started a painting of his own. It was fun to play around with the loose washable paint. The acrylic he favoured was much thicker.  
He swirled colours onto the page before breaking out the black, stopping frequently to lend a hand or answer a question. 

Cyrus sprawled over his feet, unconcerned by the noise and movement of children around him.

By the time Stiles called for everyone to clean up, Derek had a painting of Cyrus frolicking in a flowered field that he was pretty proud of. Isaac pulled him over to the drying rack so their paintings could “sit together.” He helped the kids untie their smocks and hang them up, then sat on a mat with his nephew in his lap and his dog curled behind him, and all the other kids back in their semi-circle.

“Tomorrow is lizard day, and we’re going to meet Henry the Iguana,” Scott informed the children, who responded with various levels of enthusiasm.

“I want everybody to thank Derek and Cyrus for coming in to visit us today.” Stiles winked at Isaac and he popped off Derek’s lap and went into the supply closet. He came back with a giant card, and a big bone tied with a fat red bow. He gave the bone straight to Cy and handed Derek the large paper. The front had _Thank you!_ in huge glittered letters. The inside was a pop-up dog head, big and black enough to resemble Cyrus, with the names of all the children scribbled in various colours.

In the corner they had taped a Starbucks gift card, and both Scott and Stiles had written heartfelt messages of gratitude. 

“You like it?” Isaac prompted. Derek nodded. He was going to keep this card forever, regardless of how much Laura teased him for being a sentimental teddy bear.

“Before it’s time to go home, we’ll do a round of favourite thing,” Stiles said. “Scott, you want to start us off?”

Scott tapped a finger against his chin, pondering dramatically, spurring giggles from some of the children. “My favourite thing was reading _No Roses for Harry._ Emma, what was yours?”

They went around the circle, each child picking something about the day that they enjoyed. A few chose Cyrus, though the cookies were pretty popular too. Before Stiles took his turn, he asked, “How about you, Derek? What was your favorite part of today?”

 _Spending the day with you,_ he thought, but he actually said, “I liked painting together. How about you, Cy?”

Cyrus gave a sharp bark on cue and bit into his bone. He wagged his tail when everyone laughed and Derek felt like doing the same.

“Your turn, Stiles,” Scott said, bring everyone's attention back.

Stiles bit his lip consideringly, and Derek tried not to stare. “My favourite thing was...Seeing Derek’s pictures. Especially the one with the blue background.”

Derek raised an eyebrow. He knew the painting Stiles meant, a backdrop of different shades of blue, flecks of white sprinkled across as stars and Cyrus’ silhouette at the forefront. It was a simpler piece, but one of his favourites.

Scott sent all the campers to pack up their things, and noise started to filter in from the hallways as campers in the other groups headed outside. 

On the way to the car, Derek spotted Mrs. Johnson walking snootily away while her daughter pointed excitedly to Cyrus. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t feel a bit smug.


	3. Chapter 3

Friday evening, Derek was in his studio working on a painting when Cyrus gave a low woof and padded out the door. He set down his brush and wiped his hands before following him out.

He could hear Laura and Isaac greeting Cy at the front of the house. When he reached the foyer, Isaac launched himself at Derek and started to climb. 

“Uncle Derek, there's going to be a carnival!” Isaac shouted.

Derek raised an eyebrow while Laura smirked at him. “Is that so?”

“Yeah, and Camp Nemeton has a booth and Mom says we can go and that you’re coming,” Isaac insists.

“Oh, does she, now?” Derek narrowed his eyes as his sister rolled her own.

“It’s an outdoor event. There's nothing in the rules that say Cyrus can’t come, and you have no life. You are going to come and you are going to have fun.” She pinned him with a glare that clearly added _or else._

“Oh joy,” Derek said, deadpan. “People in big crowds, with loud noises and rigged games. My favourite.”

“It is? This is going to be awesome!” Isaac wiggled out of Derek’s grip back onto the floor. “Stiles will be so excited to see us.”

“Stiles?” Derek asked. He immediately regretted it when Laura have him raised an eyebrow.

“All the counsellors are taking turns at the Camp Nemeton Booth. He said to come visit him if we get the chance. We’re going in the afternoon, right, mom?” Isaac called over his shoulder as he took off into the kitchen with Cyrus hot on his heels.

“Oh, we most certainly are.” Laura said, cryptically.

“Laura, I was just curious. Please don’t make a big deal out of this,” Derek pleaded.

“Why Derek, I have no idea what you're talking about,” she claimed, and Derek knew he was in trouble. 

He sighed. “Hungry?”

“You can make those meatballs I like.” She patted his arm and waltzed into the kitchen after her son. 

***

Sunday around noon, Derek followed Laura and Isaac through the crowds at the fairground. The camp was supposed to have a BBQ going as the main part of their fundraiser, and they were making a beeline for it.

It was easy enough to spot the colourful banner and head toward it. People got out of the way quickly when they saw Derek's frown and his dog’s bulk. It came in handy, to say the least.

The line for the BBQ was long, so they played a few rounds of I Spy while they waited. Isaac’s third item was Stiles’ bright red shirt, and Derek started losing pretty soon after that. Stiles was talking a mile a minute while he doled out hot dogs to waiting customers, Scott at his side doing the same. 

Once they finally placed their order and made their way to his station, drinks in hand, Stiles was poking Scott with his elbow while he said, “You are a ditching friend, Scott. A ditching friend who ditches.”

“I know, but it’s Allison, dude. There's a ferris wheel!” Scott looked at Stiles with wide beseeching eyes.

“And who is going to take me on that ferris wheel, if not my best friend, hmm?” Stiles crossed his arms. “No one wants to go on a ferris wheel alone, Scotty, and now you are ditching me.”

“We can take you, Stiles,” Isaac shouted.

Stiles jumped in surprise, his stern glare turning into a grin when he saw their group. “Hey, guys! You made it!”

“We came to see you! You don’t have to go on the Ferris Wheel by yourself, you can come with us,” Isaac said.

“That’s really nice of you, Isaac, but I don’t want to intrude on your family time.” Stiles said. He elbowed Scott in the ribs when his friend tried to say something and Derek wasn’t really sure why.

“It’s no intrusion, we’d love to have you,” Laura said with a wave of her hand. “However, if you’re not up to it we completely understand and respect your personal boundaries, isn’t that right, Isaac?”

Isaac frowned at his mother, but nodded and told Stiles, “Personal boundaries are important. Can you come with us anyway?”

Stiles bit his lip and his eyes flicked over to Derek. Derek couldn’t think of anything to say that would convince him so he simply raised an eyebrow. It seemed to be enough because Stiles smiled and said, “I have to stick around here for another twenty minutes, but I could come find you after?”

“Yes!” Isaac did a first pump Derek was sure he had learned at camp.

“We’ll find somewhere to eat while we wait,” Laura said.

Stiles’ eyes widened abruptly. “Oh geez, I’m holding your food hostage, aren’t I? Scott, why didn’t you tell me to get their food?” Scott held up his hands in surrender as he was once again impaled by Stiles’ elbow. They quickly handed over the requested amount of hot dogs.

Before they moved on to the hamburger station, Laura said, “Derek, give Stiles your number so he can text us when he’s done. It's so busy out here, we could be hard to find.” Her eyes sparkled mischievously as she took his food and herded Isaac away.

Plastic gloves went flying as Stiles whipped them off to pull out his phone and hand it to Derek. He put his number in as a new contact quickly and handed it back. “So, we’ll talk to you soon, then?”

“For sure.” Stiles nodded enthusiastically, returning the phone to his pocket and grabbing a new glove. Scott was starting to look a bit overwhelmed with all the people waiting for food so Derek gave an awkward wave and went after Laura.

***

They had gotten way too much food in support of the camp and Derek was attempting to prevent Isaac from feeding Cyrus an entire hamburger one topping at a time, when his phone went off.

The first text read: _I would like to mention that just because Scott has a hot date does not mean you need to put up with my company. That being said, if the offer's still open, I am free from hotdog duty._

It was quickly followed by: _This is Stiles, by the way, that probably made no sense. Sorry!_

Derek snorted, and confiscated the empty buns Isaac was about give to a very receptive Cy, before replying: _ **It made sense. Scott’s loss is our gain. Meet by the ticketbooth?**_

_I know, right? Sounds good! Are we going on the rides? Are we going to hit up the games? I know most of them are supposedly rigged, but they’re still really fun._

He helped Laura and Isaac clean up their table and herded them in the direction of the ticket booth. While they were in line he replied: _**For sure going on Ferris Wheel, not so sure about the other rides because I don’t feel like dying today. Will play game booths until Laura is hungry enough for funnel cakes and donuts.**_

_Oh my god! The powdered sugar ones? I think I’ll need a bucket of those. Carnival food is the best. Have you ever had Chocolate covered bacon? Sounds disgusting, is, in fact, amazing._

When they got to the line he dug out enough money for Laura to buy tickets for all of them to go on the ferris wheel, Isaac to hit a few of the rides they deemed safe, and some tokens that can be used at the games, then he took Cyrus to stand out of the way. _**Sweet and salty is good. Like chocolate covered pretzels. Which reminds me, keep an eye out for deep fried Reese's Peanut butter Cups, they’re addictive.**_

He was sending off the text when Stiles popped up next to him. “Hey, how was lunch? Hi, Cyrus.” He bent over to give Cy a full body scratch. “I should get in line, sorry to keep you waiting again.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Derek grabbed Stiles’ wrist before he could take off into the crowd again. “I think Laura and Isaac are just paying now. She’s getting you some tickets and stuff.”

“Oh, that’s great. Save us some time.” Stiles nodded, his face turning red. Derek watched the flush spread, then realized he was still holding Stiles’ wrist. He dropped it quickly, and looked away.

Isaac came bounding up with his mother in tow. “Stiles, you made it!”

“Sure did. Thanks for inviting me, dude,” Stiles said, giving him a fistbump. “Laura, Derek said you got me a ticket, let me pay you back.”

Laura snorted. “Put your wallet away. I’m holding these hostage so you’re forced to spend time with us. Besides, I didn’t pay for them, so I don’t care. Isaac, thank your uncle.”

“Thank you, Uncle Derek,” Isaac said automatically. He was attempting to stuff the tokens into Derek’s pockets but was having difficulty with how tight they were. 

“Hmm, thanks, Uncle Derek,” Stiles said with a sly smile. Isaac finished giving Derek the tokens and grabbed Stiles’ hand, pulling him toward the nearest game that caught his attention.

They worked their way through the carnival, stopping at games and collecting prizes and shoving them in the bag Laura had brought along. The best thing they had gotten so far was a black stuffed dog that Isaac insisted was the spitting image of Cyrus.

They came to that old fashioned game where the contestants swing the hammer to ring the bell, and Stiles bumped Derek with his hip. “You gonna win me a prize, tough guy?”

Derek smirked and passed him Cyrus’ leash. He traded the game attendant a token for the mallet. When he brought the mallet down on the lever, it shot up immediately, sliding to the top. Isaac and Stiles both cheered loudly while Laura smirked at him. 

“You can pick any of the prizes,” the attended explained. Derek took the leash back from Stiles and gestured for him to choose.

“Do you want to pick it out, Isaac?” Stiles asked.

“No, he won it for you, Stiles, like you asked him to,” Isaac said, though he was clearly eyeing the potential spoils. 

Stiles flushed again. “Maybe we could pick it together?” He and Isaac rifled through the choices, and settled on a large red fox. It was smaller than some of the popular top prizes, but the fur was a softer plush. It was too big for Isaac to carry, so Stiles tucked it under his own arm. 

“Ferris wheel time?” Laura proposed. They set off toward the wheel, Laura taking Isaac’s hand to keep him close.

Isaac turned back to frown at them, “You gotta have a buddy so you don’t get lost.”

Stiles looked at Derek with a mischievous glint in his eye. “Wanna be my buddy?”

“Safety first,” Derek replied, slipping his hand into Stiles’. 

Derek expected Stiles to drop his hand as soon as they reached the lineup for the ride. He was pleased when this wasn’t the case, and tried to act naturally even though Laura was smirking at him again. 

They moved up slowly, and when they were next in line, Laura passed out the tickets and took Cyrus from Derek. “I’ll be on that bench when you’re finished.”

“You aren’t joining us?” Stiles asked.

“For some reason, ever since I got pregnant with Isaac, any sort of ride has made me hurl, including ferris wheels. No worries though, I just send Derek to suffer while I cuddle his dog.” She gave them a jaunty wave and walked away.

They didn’t wait much longer before they were loaded into the car, Isaac bouncing with excitement between them. Stiles engaged him in a rousing game of “what can we see from here,” which was in fact, listing everything in the park, while waving at Laura periodically.

When all the cars were loaded and the wheel began rotating in earnest, Derek braced his arm soccer mom-style across Isaac, on the off-chance his excitement caused him to tip over the bar and plummet to his death. Isaac ignored him, continuing to list all the midway games he could see. Stiles took advantage of the proximity to lay his hand over Derek’s. Derek looked over at Stiles and his eyes were sparkling with mirth, the corner of his mouth quirked in amusement.

They stared at each other as the ride climbed and fell slowly, Stiles’ smile slipped off his lips, and the sparkle turned heated. Derek leaned over to kiss him, and was promptly reminded there was a seven year old between him when Isaac elbowed him in the stomach and shouted “Look, Uncle Derek, there's a cotton candy stand.”

Stiles looked away from Derek, skin flushed as he debated with Isaac over whether pink or blue cotton candy tasted better. Isaac was very confused when Derek tried to tell him that they have the same taste.


	4. Chapter 4

Derek tossed his keys into the bowl by the front door and followed Cyrus into the kitchen to dish out the dog's dinner. Derek himself wasn’t hungry, having already consumed as much greasy carnival food as he could. Laura and Stiles each had favourites that he just _needed_ to try, along with Isaac’s unfinished treats between rides, and Derek’s own choices. He left Cyrus to his dinner and wandered into the laundry room. He was just starting a load when his phone buzzed.

Derek had forgotten about his text to Stiles earlier about deep fried Reese’s.

_You were right, by the way, those things were amazing. Peanut butter and chocolate is always a good combination, but Reese’s has that special something that brings it up a notch._

_**Have you ever tried the Reese’s bar?** _

_I have! It’s good but lacks the texture of the rippled edge. The mini’s are the same way. Salty peanut and chocolate deliciousness but no weight to it._

They exchanged texts for the next few hours, conversation flowing naturally in a way Derek could rarely achieve with anyone outside his family. He didn’t fall asleep until after midnight because he didn’t want to tell Stiles they should stop. Even then, he passed out waiting for Stiles’ reply.

When he woke up in the morning he was worried that Stiles would be mad at him, but instead he had a text from six that morning that read, _Wow, I had the weirdest dream. Let’s just say it involved ostrich triage and werewolves and leave it at that._

_**Probably from the insane amount of sugary, fat-filled food you had yesterday. When did you have time to sleep?** _

_I’m kind of a night owl, but I need to be up early for camp. Coffee and naps are my best friends._

Stiles’ replies came slower than they had the night before since Stiles was at work and therefore responsible for a _small horde of miniature humans_ as he liked to call them, but they kept the conversation going the whole day. 

In fact, it continued through the rest of the week. Stiles sent Derek random observations and facts, some of which seemed completely random. Derek did his best to follow the conversation and send something interesting or funny back, hoping it would be enough to encourage him to continue. In the process, they learned a lot about each other’s family, friends and hobbies. 

Thursday evening, Stiles sent Derek a picture of a news report about a guy who had brought home a bear cub thinking it was a puppy. _Sure this isn’t you?_

Derek sent back a picture of Cyrus in a bowing play stance, red ball at his feet. _**Definitely a puppy.**_

That opened the the door for all sorts of other pictures to be sent. Including: Stiles’ new batman socks, Isaac’s face covered in birthday cake ice cream, and a potato chip that absolutely did not look like a cat.

On Friday, Derek sent a picture of Cyrus bounding over a creek in the middle of the preserve, sunlight glistening over the water and his black coat.

_Wow, where is that? It looks amazing._

_**Beacon Hills Preserve.** _

_No way. I have been all over the Preserve and I’ve never been to that creek._

_**It’s technically private property. Hale land is an extension of the Preserve.** _

_I see, keeping all the best parts for yourself :p ;)_

_**You like hiking?** _

_Quite a lot actually. My mom used to take me to burn off energy. Still helps._

_**You should come out with me sometime. I could show you the creek.** _

Derek started to panic as soon as he sent the invitation. He never asked people out. What if Stiles was just being friendly? Maybe he would think it was just to hang out. That would be good, because then he wouldn’t stop talking to Derek, but it would also be horrible, since Derek would end up pining after him as they traipsed around the woods.

He was about to call Laura to freak out, when Stiles reply came. 

_Yeah? Sounds like fun. Soon?_

Derek did call Laura then. Before she could even finish saying hello, he blurted, “I think I just asked Stiles out.”

“Okay,” Laura said, slowly. “You aren’t sure?”

“Well, I mean, I did ask him out, but what if he doesn’t think it's a date? What if he thinks it's just to chill or something?” Derek paced around his living room with the phone pressed to his ear.

“Hmm. What did you ask him to do?”

“Go for a hike. We were talking about the preserve and he said he likes hiking so… I don’t know what came over me. What the fuck was I thinking?” Derek tugged at his hair, panic rising.

“Probably that you wanted to bang him six ways to Sunday,” Laura mused.

“Laura!”

“Alright, alright. But you do want to go out with him, right?” At Derek’s pained yes, she continued. “So give him a choice. Tuesday with Isaac, or Saturday, just the two of you. If he picks Saturday, offer to make him dinner. When he says yes, which he will, because he is totally into you, make him that mushroom bacon risotto you do, because it sounds fancy and tastes delicious. Got it?”

“I guess so.” Derek sat down on the couch. Cyrus jumped up next to him and pressed against his side reassuringly.

“You’ll be fine, just ask. Love you, Der.”

Derek repeated the sentiment and said goodbye. He stared at his phone a minute before he finally typed, _**Soon would be good. We could go on Tuesday with Isaac or if you’re free tomorrow, just the two of us?**_

_Just us would be nice, if you’re comfortable with that. Cyrus, too, of course._

Derek nearly did a happy dance as he jumped to his feet.

_**I could cook you dinner after?** _

_Forest adventures with you AND food? I’m so there._

Derek didn’t resist the happy dance that time.

***

Late Saturday afternoon, Derek went through his fridge yet again to confirm he had everything. He’d checked with Stiles that he didn’t have any allergies or distastes before shopping. It had spurred a fun conversation about their mutual dislike for anything with tentacles, which had been relaxing, until halfway through the grocery store, when he’d gotten a text from Laura that said _Buy condoms. <3_

Derek went into a tailspin about what Stiles’ expectations for the date were, and waffled in the pharmacy section for a solid ten minutes. He bought the damn condoms.

Cyrus gave a short bark and made a beeline for the front door. Derek did a last visual sweep of the kitchen before he followed Cyrus and grabbed his shoes. Stiles was climbing out of a dusty blue jeep. Derek opened the door for Cy, but made him wait on the porch while Derek put his shoes on.

“Hey, you guys all set?” Stiles came up and leaned over the porch stairs and gave Cyrus a rub.

“Yep. Do you need water or anything?” He asked, Stiles shook his head so Derek turned his attention to Cyrus, and said casually, “Hey Cy, I don’t suppose you want to go for a walk, do you?” The dog abandoned Stiles to stand in front of Derek, tail wagging so hard his whole body moved. “You’re probably not interested. Do you want to stay home, instead?” 

Cyrus sat his butt down and howled a doggy approximation of _Nooooooooo._

Stiles laughed at their antics, and Derek said, “If you’re sure. Let’s get going.” He clapped twice and Cyrus took off for the tree line, leaving the humans to trail after him. “I don’t usually bring his leash, but if you'd be more comfortable, I could.”

“He’ll come back without it, right?” Stiles asked, and Derek nodded. “I’m good. He’s big and all, but I’ve never met a dog who’s so well-trained.” They followed the well-worn path through the woods, talking about the training that Derek used and the dogs Stiles had met, mostly though the K-9 program at the station and Scott’s old job as a vet assistant. Derek enjoyed the way Stiles rambled through an idea before making his point, and appreciated that Stiles didn’t seem too concerned with how quiet he was. Derek had lost count of the number of times someone had turned to him and said ‘you sure don’t talk much,’ thinking it was a great conversation starter. Words just weren’t his forte, but he liked listening to Stiles. They had a few silences, but even those seemed comfortable, and when they were broken, it was to add an interesting point, not just to fill space.

Cyrus ran circles around them, bounding through the underbrush before returning to Derek’s side, only to take off in a new direction. They had almost reached the creek when Cy raced past, nearly taking out Stiles in the process. Stiles over balanced and nearly fell over. Derek grabbed him around the waist and pulled so he fell into him, rather than on the ground.

They ended up pressed together, Stiles’ arms around Derek’s neck, and Derek’s around Stiles’ waist. They were the same height, and though Derek clearly had more muscle, he could feel that Stiles was more toned than his loose layers and lanky frame would suggest.

He studied Stiles’ honey brown eyes, and told himself to let go. Stiles had gone perfectly still, but when the moment lingered and neither of them made a move to pull away, Stiles darted forward and pressed a quick kiss to Derek’s lips. Derek was so surprised he didn’t have time to kiss him back. He stared at him, completely dumbfounded and Stiles started to step back, mumbling, “Sorry.”

“No, I...Shit, you surprised me, just hold on a second, okay?” Stiles stopped moving away, but he didn’t press into Derek like he had been before, just looked at him nervously. Derek wrapped an arm more firmly around Stiles’ waist, bringing their bodies back together, while he cupped the back of Stiles’ head his other hand. His lips were a breathe away from Stiles, but he paused to make sure Stiles didn’t want him to stop.

When no objection came, he closed the distance, pressing their mouths together tenderly. It was a simple and chaste kiss, but it made Derek’s whole body warm, right down to his toes. He pulled back again but didn’t get far before Stiles drew him in once more.

The kiss stayed slow and lazy, but it gained a smouldering heat. Derek braced Stiles against a tree and he might have started to grind their hips together, if Cyrus hadn’t come back and whacked him in the back of the leg with a giant stick.

Derek stumbled back, rubbing the area of impact. Stiles laughed breathlessly while Derek hurled the stick as far as he could for Cy to chase after. Stiles took his hand and pulled him back onto the path, looping their arms together as they walked.   
They got back to the house later than expected, because they kept getting distracted stealing kisses as they walked. Derek set to work on dinner, Stiles stationed on one of the island stools, chopping whatever Derek told him to while Cyrus napped in the middle of the kitchen. Stiles took great pleasure in watching Derek try to avoid tripping on him every time he turned around.

Derek thoroughly enjoyed dinner. The food was good, but he barely tasted it after Stiles started rubbing his foot against Derek’s under the table. It was quite a feat, considering he had to maneuver around Cyrus to do it, but he didn’t break stride in eating or making conversation the whole time.

It shouldn’t have felt so sexy, sock-covered feet touching under a table, but by the time the meal was over Derek was vibrating with simmering want. Stiles offered to help with the dishes, but Derek waved him off with, “I can take care of it later.”

Stiles looked a bit disappointed, which Derek didn't really understand because they were dishes. Who actually _wanted_ to do dishes? Unless Stiles was one of those people who felt compelled to do them immediately after every meal and he thought Derek was a slob. 

Stiles chewed his thumb a bit. “I guess I should get out of the way, then.” 

Derek started to panic a bit. He would do the dishes if Stiles really wanted, but he would rather be making out on the couch.

“No rush. Do you want to watch a movie or something?” Derek wasn’t ready for Stiles to leave, but he didn’t want to force him into staying just to be polite. 

Stiles smiled, and looked relieved. Instead of heading toward the living room, he pressed into Derek’s space, bracing him against the counter, and kissing him hard. He progressed from Derek’s mouth to his jaw to the back of his ear. Softly, he asked, “Will you think less of me if I ask to skip the movie and go straight to your bed?”

Derek would have liked to say something witty, or sexy. Unfortunately, all he could manage was a strangled “hnnnnng,” before he pulled Stiles out of the kitchen, up the stairs and into his bedroom as quickly as possible.

Apparently, Stiles didn’t need any fancy words from Derek. He laughed good naturedly at Derek’s urgency. It was the kind of laugh that sounded like he was having fun and excited about being together, rather than judging Derek and finding him lacking. Derek kissed the laugh right out of Stiles’ mouth, sweeping his tongue in. 

They tugged at each other’s clothes with little success, until Derek stepped back and took off his own shirt in one swift movement. Stiles’ jaw dropped in appreciation. “I knew you filled out a Henley well, but damn, you are gorgeous.” 

Derek ducked his head, slightly embarrassed by the praise, and reached for Stiles shirt. He managed to get it off despite Stiles’ poor attempts to help, then laid him down on the bed so he could look his fill. Derek drank in the expanse of pale skin, reverently tracing his fingers over the landscape of moles, then followed the path with his mouth.

He nibbled down beside the line of hair that led from Stiles’ belly button into his jeans. He unbuttoned them, carefully sliding the zipper down and pushing the jeans off Stiles’ hips. He mouthed at the cotton of Stiles bright red briefs, while Stiles moaned and gasped above him.

“Derek, please. I want to feel you.” Stiles wound his fingers into Derek’s hair and tugged. Derek allowed himself to be pulled up so Stiles could fit their mouths together while he worked off Derek’s jeans and briefs. They were forced to separate to untangle their pants from their ankles, then Derek sighed in bliss as they came back together without any barriers. 

“Derek,” Stiles panted in his ear. “Want you inside me, want you so much.” Derek latched onto Stiles’ neck and sucked hard, eliciting a raw groan, then he reached for the bedstand. He grabbed the bottle of lube and newly purchased condoms, tossing them next to Stiles’ head and returning to his place at Stiles’ neck.

“Do you want me to…” He trailed off as Stiles moaned and shoved the bottle at him. He opened it quickly and coated his fingers. They shifted so Derek’s hips were bracketed by Stiles’ long legs. He slid his finger against Stiles’ entrance, patiently coaxing him open, adding one finger at a time, until Stiles was writhing beneath him.

When Derek brushed against Stiles’ prostate, Stiles bucked his hips, then pushed Derek onto his back, and Derek’s head spun from the sudden change. Stiles nipped at his mouth. “Can I ride you?” Derek moaned, and nodded. Stiles grabbed one of the condoms, and opened it quickly. Derek dug his nails into the mattress as Stiles took Derek’s cock in hand and rolled it on.

Derek gripped Stiles’ hips as he lined Derek’s cock up to his entrance and sank down slowly. When Derek was fully engulfed in his tight heat, they paused, staring at each other, breathing hard. All the heat and longing he had felt all summer came rushing at him as his fantasies were realized, but they quickly dissipated like smoke, because they couldn’t possibly compare to the reality of having Stiles above him, around him, consuming him. Derek lay tensed underneath him, trying to give Stiles time to adjust.

Then Stiles smiled, mischievous glee sparkling in his eyes. He rocked his hips down, grinding against Derek. “Come on, Derek, fuck me.”

Derek let go of his control and started thrusting, and Stiles pushed down to meet his motion every time. He lost time, the world dropped away until all that was left was Stiles and him, moving together.

He felt his orgasm building and reached for Stiles’ cock, hard and hot against Derek’s stomach. Derek was determined to get him off before he found his own release. Stiles adjusted his motions so he could rock between Derek’s hand and his cock. It only took a few more thrusts before Stiles was coming over Derek’s chest. Derek felt Stiles’ muscles clench around him, before he went limp and collapsed against him. 

Derek rolled them over, pressing into Stiles’ lax mouth with his own, as he chased his own orgasm. Stiles raked his nails over Derek’s back, and he tipped over the edge. He curled into Stiles as he came, then wrapped around him as they both lay stunned and sated.

When Stiles’ come started to dry against their stomachs, Derek pulled out carefully. He disposed of the condom and went into the en-suite, wiping himself clean before returning to Stiles to do the same for him.

Stiles lay sprawled in the middle of the bed, lazily smiling up at Derek as he worked. “Thanks, ‘s nice.”

“No problem,” Derek assured him. He kissed Stiles tenderly before tossing the cloth into the hamper. “Stay?” Stiles nodded and snuggled into Derek’s pillow. “I just need to settle Cy for the night. I’ll be back in a minute.” Stiles nodded again as Derek covered him with the blanket, already half asleep.

***

“Holy shit!”

Derek jerked awake at Stiles’ shout. He rolled over to see Cyrus looming while Stiles struggled beneath him. “Cyrus, down!” Cy lumbered off with a put upon sigh, then turned to stare at him from the side of the bed. “Sorry, I’m really sorry,” Derek said, quickly, to Stiles.

Stiles laughed. “It’s fine. I just wasn’t expecting it. It’s not everyday I get woken up by a giant death omen.”

Derek blushed. “He usually sleeps on the bed. I’ll take him down to the kitchen.”

“Nah, man, I don’t want to steal his spot.” Stiles waved a hand dismissively. Derek’s heart sank. He was looking forward to waking up in the morning with Stiles, but now that he was awake and no longer sex stupid he would probably leave. Instead of moving out of the bed, Stiles rolled over to Derek. “It’s a big bed. You’ll just have to hold me closer.”

Derek sighed in relief, and pulled Stiles flush against him, burying his face in the curve of Stiles’ neck. What perfect person was Stiles that he not only let Derek cuddle him into oblivion, but he made room for his _dog_ , too? Cyrus wasted no time in filling the space next to them. “Good?” Stiles asked.

“Perfect.” Derek murmured. He held on with no intention of ever letting go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and thank you to everyone who left such lovely comments!


End file.
